Disaster Cost Reimbursement Manual City of St. Petersburg

It should be noted that the City has a contract in place with a debris removal company (currently
Crowder-Gulf). In the event of a major storm and at the discretion of the Mayor, it may be
decided to utilize the contractor to remove most or all of the storm debris with City forces
supplementing the effort. City forces will use this manual to document their debris removal
activities. The contractor will produce FEMA acceptable documentation which will be reviewed
by Audit Services prior to project formulation. The City may also utilize a monitoring firm to
accumulate and collate documentation developed by the debris contractor.
• Category B – Emergency Protective Measures - This category addresses the need to provide
appropriate emergency measures designed to protect life, safety, property and health (i.e.
barricades, sandbags, police, and fire personnel). It is important that Police and Fire Department
Personnel specifically indicate on their timesheets the disaster activity they are engaged in and
in the case of a police cruiser specify whether the activity is patrolling as compared to being
stopped and posted at a barricade. FEMA requires that mileage be recorded to obtain protective
measures reimbursement for patrolling whereas the hours are recorded for a police cruiser
stopped with lights on.
• Category C – Road System Repairs - This category addresses damage to non-federal roads,
bridges, streets, culverts and traffic control devices.
• Category D – Water Control Facilities - Eligible damages under this category include costs
to repair irrigation systems, drainage channels, and pumping facilities. Repair of levees, dams,
and flood control channels is restricted to debris removal, flood fighting, and emergency repairs,
if constructed for the purpose of eliminating or reducing the threat of flooding.
• Category E – Buildings and Equipment - Eligible damage under this category includes costs
to repair public buildings and equipment, supplies/inventories that were damaged and
transportation systems such as public transit systems. Vehicles are also included under this
category.
• Category F – Public Utility Systems - Under this category, assistance is available for
damaged water systems, landfills, sanitary sewer systems, storm drainage systems and
light/power facilities.
• Category G – Other (Parks, Recreational Facilities, etc.) - The “Other” category includes
park and recreational facilities, or other public facilities damages that do not reasonably fit in one
of the other six categories.
• For Categories A and B, only overtime wages, the related fringe benefits for permanent
employees and all labor costs of extra hires are normally eligible. However, FEMA may
elect to include regular time as an eligible cost. For this reason and that FEMA does reimburse
the City for any equipment used during Category A and B activities, the department must keep
track of both regular and overtime hours worked and reconcile the hours worked with the
equipment reported on the FEMA Force Equipment Summary Sheet and the electronic Excel
spreadsheet created by each department coordinator.
• For Categories C through G, gross salaries or wages, which include regular, overtime
and fringe benefits, are eligible for FEMA reimbursement. In order for the City to be
reimbursed for wages, the department is required to keep track of all hours worked on disaster
related activities and must reconcile the hours worked with the equipment used.
8